pavlova
/pævˈləʊvə/
"pavlova" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“pavlova” is uncommon English (frequency #60,349 among 46,516 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #60,349
- frequency rank, English
- 46,516
- “P” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A meringue dessert usually topped with fruit and cream.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | pavlova |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /pævˈləʊvə/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #60,349 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “pavlova” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
pavlova is uncommon English at frequency #60,349 among 46,516 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /pævˈləʊvə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A meringue dessert usually topped with fruit and cream.".
No generated misspelling entries exist for pavlova in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From the surname Pavlova, from Russian Па́влова (Pávlova), feminine form of Па́влов (Pávlov), named after Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova (1881–1931). Australia/New Zealand from circa 1930. Both nations lay claim to origination of the dish and the name. Acco… The correct English form is pavlova, spelled P-A-V-L-O-V-A.
Definition
- 1A meringue dessert usually topped with fruit and cream.
Etymology
From the surname Pavlova, from Russian Па́влова (Pávlova), feminine form of Па́влов (Pávlov), named after Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova (1881–1931). Australia/New Zealand from circa 1930. Both nations lay claim to origination of the dish and the name. According to research undertaken by the Oxford English Dictionary, however, the earliest known attestation for the term is from New Zealand in 1927.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "pavlova"?
What does "pavlova" mean?
How do you pronounce "pavlova"?
What is the origin of the word "pavlova"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “pavlova”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-A-V-L-O-V-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /pævˈləʊvə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Other uncommon English words near this rank
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.